Life is Good
by jenanistonfan
Summary: A post finale fanfiction beginning over a year after the last episode. Ross and Rachel are still together and Emma is about two and a half. Mainly RnR fluff.
1. Chapter 1

I promise I haven't completely forgotten about my previous fic- but I decided to start a new one anyway--

I must warn you- this story has no real plot- it's mainly RnR fluff..

* * *

Background: This is a post-finale fanfic. Ross and Rachel are still together. The others will be in the story, but not that much. 

---

Ross Geller opened the door to Apartment 20, his home for the past ten months. "Hey honey. I missed you," Rachel wrapped her arms around him and greeted him with a kiss.

"Hi baby, I missed you too," he replied.

She took his briefcase from his hands and set it down on the table. "How was your day?" she asked, ever the caring girlfriend.

"Ahh..it was okay. I'm a bit tired though," he replied, collapsing on the couch.

Rachel smiled and sat down on his lap, just like they used to do when they were first dating.

He continued, "But now that I'm with you, things are looking up."

The couple in-love was interrupted by the soft wails of their daughter awake from her nap. "I'll get her," Ross volunteered, gently lifting Rachel from his lap and placing her on the sofa.

----------

Monica and Chandler had moved to Westchester a year ago. A few weeks after they left, Joey took off to California. Phoebe and Mike lived a few minutes away, still in the city of course.

The group was so emotional about leaving the apartment, and soon, Ross and Rachel decided to take ownership of it. Three months after the Bings moved out, they moved in with their daughter Emma.

Emma...she was 2 and a half years old already. She had Ross' chocolate brown eyes, and Rachel's gorgeous light brown hair. She really was the best of them both. Her parents adored her more than anything else in the world.

----------

Ross walked back into the room with Emma in his arms. The baby girl was rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Look who's here!" Ross announced proudly.

"There's my girl!"Rachel exclaimed, getting up from the couch, to take Emma from her father. "Hi baby! Did you have a good nap?!" she whispered in baby-talk. Rachel smoothed out her daughter's golden curls and kissed her on the cheek.

Ross smiled. Life was good. He finally got the woman he loved his whole life, and a little piece of their love for each other- their daughter. His eyes locked with Rachel's. She was perfect.

The U2 song, _With or Without You_, interrupted their little stare-down. Rachel blushed as she handed Emma to Ross and answered her ringing cell phone.

"Hello?" Rachel greeted whoever was on the other line.

"Hi Rachel, it's Deanna."

Rachel sighed, it was her annoying boss at Gucci (yes she ended up getting a job there). "Hi Deanna." _This better be worth the interruption_, Rachel thought.

Ross stared at her, a confused look on his face. Deanna usually never calls at night, what could be so important?

"Rachel, you remember very important conference we were discussing earlier?"

"Yes."

"Well, we discussed it further, and we all want you to attend; do you think you are up to the task?"

Rachel smiled, pleased that her boss chose HER for this "very important conference." "Yes ma'am. Where's the conference?"

"In San Diego. It's gonna last for 5 days- so you can fly out on Sunday, work Monday-Friday, and spend Saturday and Sunday in San Diego, with your boyfriend perhaps? And then you can fly back on Monday. How does that sound?"

"That sounds perfect! I'll start preparing right away!"

"Okay then, good night!"

"Good night Deanna!" Rachel hung up the phone.

Ross put Emma into her playpen and walked over to Rachel to question her about the phone call. "So Rach, what happened?" He pulled her into a hug.

"My boss is sending me to San Diego on Monday for a week. Do you want to come?"

Ross smiled uncomfortably, "Nahh, I'm not a big fan of the west co-"

Rachel interrupted his speech with a passionate kiss. "Are you sure?" She said softly and provocatively. "Because we could leave Emma with Chandler and Mon, and go away- just you and me for a whole week..."

They both gazed into each other's eyes. Suddenly, Ross pushed her away (like in TOW the Chicken Pox, with the sailor uniform), and exclaimed, "Hold on- let me call the university! I've got to make some calls!!"

Rachel chuckled. _Well, this should be fun!!_

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

"Ems! Hurry up, Daddy and I are gonna be late!" Rachel called. Her two and a half year old daughter toddled into the room, pulling a small Dora the Explorer suitcase behind her.

"But _Mommy_!" the little girl protested. "Where are we _going_?"

"Emma, we told you!" Ross began, as he walked out of the bedroom, lugging two medium-sized carry on bags behind him. "Mommy and I are going away for work, and you are going to be staying with Auntie Monica and Uncle Chandler!"

"Oh," Emma replied, as if everything jumbled up in her tiny little brain was starting to make sense. "I play with Jack and Erica?"

"Yeah sweetie," Rachel answered, scooping her baby up from the floor, of course, leaving Ross to lift the Dora bag. "Ross, let's go! The cab's waiting downstairs!"

She seemed completely oblivious to her boyfriend having to carry so much stuff. But Ross didn't mind; he was just enjoying the fact that his daughter and the love of his life were with him for good.

* * *

They were nearing the Westchester County border, and Emma was sitting on Rachel's lap, cuddling with her mother. "Aww Ems, I'm gonna miss you so much, baby," Rachel said, her voice starting to tear. It was the very first time they were leaving Emma alone for so long.

"I miss you Mommy!" Emma whispered. "Daddy too," she added, turning to face her father.

Rachel wiped a tear from her eye, as Ross reached over to pick up his daughter, and settle her on his lap.

He patted the now empty space between him and his girlfriend, motioning for Rachel to scoot over closer to him. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and rested one of her hands casually on Emma's back.

Ross peered down at her. He carefully observed the way she seemed so enamored with her baby girl. Rachel had really turned out to be a wonderful mother. He was looking forward to this well-deserved time away with her.

Ross gently kissed her forehead. "Em will be fine," he assured her. "This'll be good for her, y'know? It'll help her become more independent, and she'll learn how to live without her parents, in case we ever need to leave her alone, like we are now."

Rachel nodded and kissed Emma on the head. Her baby girl was starting to fall asleep.

---

"My God, Monica, Chandler, thanks for keeping Emma with you guys!" Rachel thanked her friends, as she prepared to head out the door of their suburban house.

"Bye Mommy!" Emma waved.

"Come here you! Give your mommy a hug." The toddler leaped into her mom's arms, embracing her in a tight hug, before squirming away to do the same to her father.

"Don't worry about it, Rach," Chandler said. "Emma's always a dream, you know that."

"Yeah honey, and don't you worry about her, okay? We're gonna have a blast," Monica added. "Um…although, you probably SHOULD be worrying about Ross, cuz he's already in the car."

"Oh crap…you're right! See ya later! Give Jack and Erica kisses from their Aunt Rachel!" she waved goodbye.

Ross chuckled as Rachel hurriedly climbed into the backseat. "You. What are you laughing at?" she asked.

"Nothing much," he said, pulling her to sit on his lap. "You're just so cute, you know that?"

"Hmm, I do now," she replied, allowing herself to be engulfed by his arms and his addictive scent.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

"My, my, I'm really looking forward to this little vacation with you," Rachel said.

"Me too, believe me, I love my life in New York, but **sometimes **you just need to get away from it all. And who better to do that with than you?"

She lifted up the armrest separating her from Ross, and wrapped her arm around his, stroking his muscular biceps with her fingertips.

"Did I ever tell you how happy I am you got off that plane?" Ross asked suddenly.

"Yes sweetie, only about a hundred thousand times," she laughed. "It's okay. Did **I** ever tell **YOU** how happy I am I got off the plane?"

"Ehh, maybe once or twice, here and there…it could have been mentioned," he joked, reaching into his bag to pull out a pen and a crossword puzzle.

It was all too familiar. "Ross?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah?"

"Is that a PEN in your hand?" she inquired, obviously referring to the infamous Vegas incident.

"Oh no, no you don't. I swear I won't draw on you. You are NOT taking this away from me," he argued.

"Oh um, I think I just did!" she told him animatedly, snatching the pen out of his grasp. "We don't want a repeat of what happened on that plane, now do we?" Without even waiting for his response, she answered the question herself, "Good. I didn't think so."

They snuggled close to each other, and Ross could feel Rachel shivering from the cool temperature inside the plane. He hurriedly unwrapped the blanket embroidered with the airline logo from its plastic, and threw it on top of them.

"Thank you baby," she acknowledged his action. He wrapped his arms protectively around her, before tenderly placing a kiss on her sweet lips.

"Why do I have a feeling you're trying to get me to sleep so you can take the pen out of the seat pocket and do your stupid crossword puzzle?" Rachel asked him suspiciously.

"Dammit," Ross exclaimed softly. "I forgot you had the power to read my mind."

She smiled a satisfied smile, before throwing both her arms around his neck. "I think we need something to keep you a little busy," she told him, before flinging the blanket over their heads. She pulled him by the collar and assaulted his lips with hers.

"Whoa Rach, we're not gonna do this here NOW, are we?"

Rachel shook her head vehemently. "Are you insane? No way! I'm just gonna get you all worked up before _actually _falling asleep, so that you'll know what you're missing out on if you DO manage to get that pen and draw on my face."

"You would never do that. You could never deny me anything."

"Oh yeah?" she asked rhetorically. "I always thought it was the other way around!"

"Pfft…it's not really my fault, you know," he mumbled under his breath.

She didn't hear what he said, but continued to talk anyway. "Just saying, if I wake up with ANY ink marks on my face, you won't be getting any for this entire trip," she warned. "But now it's time to put my plan in action." She immediately pressed her lips against his.

He swiftly pulled away. "You evil genius!" he scolded lovingly. "…Ahh whatever, I'm the one who's gonna end up winning in this game anyway!"

He smiled before kissing her hard. Soon, the airplane surroundings dissolved, and they could only focus on each other, fooling around under the blanket.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter!! Please do the same again...I love hearing what you think!

* * *

"Rach!" Ross called, chucking the hotel room keys on the chest of drawers. 

"In here!" Rachel replied, from the bathroom.

He gently knocked on the bathroom door, before opening it and stepping inside. He saw Rachel walking around wrapped in a towel, in other words… the legendary "towel dress." She was standing there with the hairdryer in one hand and her hairbrush in the other.

Ross stifled a giggle. "Honey, what the hell are you trying to do?"

"Get ready! What does it look like?"

"Nothing…it just seems like you could use a little help."

"Oh God Ross! Could you help me?! Please?" Rachel pleaded.

"Yeah, sure why not? How can I be of assistance?" he questioned, putting on a sophisticated voice.

Rachel laughed, "You can help me dry my hair! And God oh God, PLEASE put on some music!"

He flipped the switch on the radio, and tuned in to a specific station playing romantic songs. As the hairdryer tuned out the music, Ross felt he had to ask. "Rach?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you immediately assume I would know how to style hair?"

"Because you've done it before for me…when we were first going out," she answered matter-of-factly. "Remember, when I was getting late for that work thing?"

"Oh…yeah…" he remembered sheepishly.

"Aww it's okay," she told him, talking to his reflection in the mirror. "I think it's cute."

Ross smiled. "If the guys find out, I will be branded as the new girly man of the group," he warned. "Don't tell anyone."

"I won't tell a soul. My lips are sealed," she promised, doing the popular 'lock and key' gesture.

He swiftly blew her a kiss before turning up the volume on the radio. For the next twenty minutes, the two of them tapped their feet to well-liked tunes, and smiled at each other when an especially romantic song would play.

Soon, the hair drying drama stopped, and Ross was left alone with Rachel in a towel dress.

At precisely the right time, a very memorable song in their lives blasted on the radio's tiny speakers.

_Her name was Lola_

_She was a showgirl_

_With yellow feathers in her hair_

_And a dress cut down to there_

Rachel groaned as she buried her face into Ross' chest. "Every TIME! This song always comes back to haunt me! Augh…"

"Hey, look at me!" Ross tipped her chin up so that she was looking him in the eye. "Don't be embarrassed! You were absolutely great when you sang it at Barry and Mindy's wedding!" he praised.

"Oh puh-leeze Ross. I'm not stupid-"

"Y'know that night…I was so proud of you…the way you stood up to that hall full of people. Just when I didn't think I could love you any more than I already did…"

Rachel smiled, reminiscing about that night so long ago. "I would never have had the guts to do it, if it hadn't been for my wonderful boyfriend who said all those nice things about me," she reminded him.

"Haha," Ross laughed. "For some reason, I remember having amazing sex that night."

Rachel agreed wistfully, "Yeah that WAS a great night."

"So what do ya say, Ms. Greene? Will you dance with me?"

"Ahh okay… what have I got to lose?" she gave in to his request.

_His name was Rico_

_He wore a diamond_

_He was escorted to his chair_

_He saw Lola dancing there_

He softly pinched her cheek and kissed her there, before planting another firm kiss on her lips. She placed her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest, as he wrapped his arms around her, resting his hands on the small of her back.

They both swayed in time to the music, clearly thinking about nothing but each other. Soon, they began softly singing the words to the end of the song:

_At the Copa, Copacabana_

_The hottest spot north of Havana_

_At the Copa, Copacabana_

_Music and passion were always the fashion_

_At the Copa…don't fall in love_

As the last words of the song played on the radio, Ross picked up Rachel and swung her around in a circle, before catching her in his arms and cradling her like a baby.

"Whaddya say, before we go out and explore San Diego, we have a repeat of that night nine years ago?" he asked, seductively.

"Oh I say we_definitely_ should," Rachel replied, equally sexily.

As he carried her out of the room, he quickly unwrapped the towel from her body and dropped it on the floor. He threw her on the bed, and pounced on top of her – their lips meeting in an electrifying kiss.

They were really going to make some good use of this alone time.

* * *

Oh and the song is "Copacabana" by Barry Manilow 


	4. Chapter 4

I'm not really sure when I'll be able to update next... but Enjoy!

* * *

The next morning soon arrived. Sunday…the last day before Rachel had to work. Today was going to just be about her and Ross. She'd promised herself that although this was a business trip, she wouldn't work unless absolutely necessary, and that every other waking moment would be spent with him. 

Rachel was already awake, staring at the reassuring sight of her boyfriend cuddled up next to her. She relished the feeling of his face buried in the nook between her face and shoulder.

She successfully got out of bed without waking him up. His shirt was thrown across the nightstand from last night's sexcapade. She threw it over her bare body, and stepped out onto the hotel room's balcony.

Rachel was greeted by the pleasant seventy degree San Diego weather. Other than waking up next to Ross, it was definitely the highlight of her morning.

A few minutes later, she felt a pair of strong hands around her waist. "Hey you," Ross greeted, kissing her neck.

Rachel turned around to face him. She kissed his cheek. "Good morning!" she said cheerfully.

"You too. I missed your beautiful face this morning. Normally, it's the first thing I see every day when I wake up."

She smiled a smile that only he would ever be witness to. "Well if it's any assurance **YOUR **beautiful face was the first thing I saw when **I** woke up this morning."

He kissed her on the lips. "What do you wanna do today?"

"I was just thinking about that. Do you want to go sightseeing or you wanna go to like a theme park or something?"

"Hmm, I was thinking I'd take you to SeaWorld today," Ross offered.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Rachel affirmed. "Let me just go get dressed."

Ross nodded, and quickly followed her into the suite.

She whirled around and crossed her arms over her chest, feigning annoyance. "Am I _going _to let you watch me undress?" she asked him, purposely repeating that line from Chandler and Monica's engagement night so long ago.

"Yes you are!" Ross answered cheekily.

"Nuh uh, I actually want to have enough time at SeaWorld," she told him, shutting the bathroom door on his face. "And you know if we start that up now, THAT'S not gonna happen."

The door reopened a mere few seconds later. Rachel stripped his shirt off her body and threw it at him. "I believe this belongs to you?" She closed the door again.

Ross groaned. "Rach! Rach!" he yelled. "That's so unfair! You can't toy with me so early in the morning!" He wore a frustrated expression as he tried to jiggle the doorknob on the locked door.

"Get dressed Ross!" Rachel instructed him, as she returned moments later, dressed in a light pink tank top and denim short shorts. Her long hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail. She chuckled at the clear effect her outfit had had on him.

"You're mean," Ross told her. "I don't like you."

"Yes you do. You love me."

"Dammit. I knew you were going to bring that up."

She laughed. "GET DRESSED!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going! Geez."

* * *

Ross had parked their rented Honda CR-V, while Rachel bought the tickets to enter the park. 

By 12 pm, the pair had managed to see the sharks, walruses, seals, and some of the indoor exhibits. They had taken a lot of photos, mainly of Rachel, since Ross was handling the camera for the most part.

They stood near a particularly beautiful spot in the park, and Ross asked someone to click a few pictures of them.

"I'd love to! You guys make such a cute couple," the middle aged woman pointed out.

Rachel and Ross put their arms around each other playfully and smiled into the camera.

"Thank you," Ross said, as the camera clicked. "Would you mind taking one more?"

"No of course not," the lady told him.

Ross slowly turned to Rachel and placed his lips on hers. The woman took the photo of them kissing.

"This one will turn out really cute; you should print it and frame it," she advised them.

They smiled and politely thanked her before walking away.

* * *

"Emma would have loved this," Rachel said, as she and Ross made their way to the next attraction. 

"Yeah," Ross agreed. "We'll have to bring her here sometime."

Rachel stopped and grabbed his arm. "Look Ross!" she pointed at the stall selling stuffed animals. "Let's buy her something!"

"How about a lobster?" Ross laughed, as he picked up the red beanie baby and showed it to her.

"Sounds perfect."

They bought a red lobster for Emma and two stuffed Shamu toys for Jack and Erica, before walking away, hand in hand.

* * *

"You ready?" Ross asked her, playing with the fabric of her top. They were standing at the center of the theme park not knowing what to do next. 

"Well the Shamu show starts at 12:45," Rachel stated, reading from the pull out map she had in her hands.

"That's in seven minutes," Ross replied, glancing at his watch. "Let's go," he grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

* * *

At Rachel's insistence, the couple chose to take a seat in the sixth row from the front marked "Soak Zone." 

Ross protested that he hated getting wet. But Rachel told him that it was going to be fun, and he should let his hair down once in a while.

At the end of the show, both of them were completely drenched. Ross stood up, and a pool of water dripped from his clothes. "We should have brought a change of clothes," Ross thought aloud.

Rachel turned around to face him. "I should have worn a darker shirt," she admitted, glancing down at her soaked shirt. "Is it too see through?"

Her question was immediately answered when she saw Ross staring; his jaw was practically on the floor.

"Ross." No answer." "Ross!" Rachel repeated again.

He swallowed. "Um…I think we need to buy you a new shirt…and fast!" He glared at the young man in his twenties staring at his girlfriend, a couple of inches below where he should be.

* * *

They returned to the souvenir cart and admired their collection of t-shirts. 

"Ross! These shirts are all so big and loose and not my size!" Rachel protested. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing now? It'll dry up…it's like eighty degrees out!"

"Well as much fun as having random people stare at my girlfriend's breasts for the next few hours sounds…" he answered sarcastically.

"Come on Ross! No one's star-" Rachel began, but when she saw the cashier looking at her with a goofy grin plastered on his face, she stopped talking, and realized he was right. She sighed, "I'll take the black top with the seal on it."

* * *

Ross opened the door to the restroom labeled "Family," where both genders could go in. While this was mainly intended for parents and their children, Ross opened the door for Rachel, and they both stepped inside. 

Rachel was about to start changing when Ross stopped her.

"You know how I always said that the weirdest place I'd ever had sex was Disney?"

"Uh huh," she replied, not taking his hint.

"Well how do you feel about changing that…now?"

"Ohh," Rachel said, as she leaned against the counter, smiling seductively. "I feel that…would be a wonderful idea."

He smiled at her before running forward and sweeping her off her feet in a massive kiss.

_Interesting day it turned out to be._


	5. Chapter 5

As Rachel sat in Conference Room B, she clicked her shoes against her heels.

_This is so boring!_

She glanced outside the window and admired the beautiful weather. She shouldn't have to be stuck in here with a bunch of boring executives. She should be outside with Ross!

Ahh, Ross. He was amazing. Everything about him was endearing to her; everything from his air purifier to the way he says "I love you" every night before drifting off to sleep.

She exchanged the blue pen in her hand for the red one in her bag, and began to doodle on her paper. She wrote "Ross and Rachel" in the bright ink and encircled the words with a heart. After repeating this a few times so her paper was nearly halfway filled, she heard her name being called.

"Ms Green?" the woman-in-charge asked.

Crap. She ceased to remember that the entire reason she was IN this beautiful place was the Gucci conference. She should probably pay attention.

"Ms. Green?" the lady repeated.

"Yes ma'am?" Rachel replied.

"What do you think about adding this piece to our spring collection?" The woman held up a hideous black and purple dress.

"I think it would be great," Rachel said, somehow managing to put on a fake smile that stretched across her face.

She sighed as the lady turned her attention away from her, and continued to draw "Ross and Rachel" hearts all over her paper.

* * *

Ross flipped the channels on the hotel room television. He snuck at peek at the bedside clock. Rachel would be home in two hours, which means he got to spend the next 120 minutes of his life changing the channels on the stupid TV.

Rachel's meetings ended on Thursday, and after that they'd decided to go and pay their old friend Joey a visit in Los Angeles. They also figured they would spend Friday and Saturday in Disneyland.

He couldn't wait until Friday. It was gonna be a big day for them. If all his plans went the way they should, it would turn out to be an amazing day…and night.

Speaking of which, he should probably go out and buy a ring. And now would be a really good time.

He quickly pressed the power button on the television and grabbed the hotel key before scribbling a note on a pad of paper.

**Hey Rach,**

**I've gone out to see what interesting restaurants are in the area. Maybe we can eat at some this week. I figured I'd have something to do while you're away.**

**If you make it home before me, don't panic. I'll be home before 5:00.**

**Love you,**

**Ross**

* * *

It was forty five minutes before Ross was able to locate a ring store. Everything was so unfamiliar here, but no one said the unknown was bad. After all, so many of the unexpected things in his life turned out to be so good.

Finally, he entered the cute little store that he had to drive almost 10 miles to get to. He headed past the graduation rings, promise rings, and wedding bands, before finally reaching the engagement rings. A young woman in her thirties stood there, her eyes darting around vigilantly.

"May I help you?" she asked him.

"Yes, um yeah- I need to buy an engagement ring for my girlfriend."

"No duh," the woman replied. "Why else would you be in the engagement ring section?"

He searched the glass case, looking for the perfect ring. An intricate ring in the back corner caught Ross' eye. It seemed to be screaming 'Rachel! Rachel!' out to him.

"How much is that one?" he asked, pointing to the ring through the glass barrier.

"This one?" she asked, smiling sweetly, before withdrawing it from the case. The ring had one large diamond in the middle, and two smaller rubies on either side of it. Judging by the diamond's special cut, he figured it would cost quite a lot.

"Yeah," Ross answered eagerly.

"This actually happens to be one of the most expensive ones in our collection."

"About HOW expensive?" Ross inquired, a worried look on his face. He knew he was going to buy the ring anyway. He couldn't NOT buy it.

"Um well approximately $2400."

His eyes nearly popped out of his head. "You've got to be KIDDING me!"

A huge smile erupted on the woman's face. "Yeah! I'm just playin'. It's about 1800 bucks."

Ross sighed. It was extravagant, but it would still be about six thousand dollars less.

"I'll take it," he replied.

"Wow. Nobody's ever willing to pay that much for this ring. Your lady must be really special."

Once again, thoughts of Rachel filled his mind. It seemed he could never stop thinking about her. He could picture her face when she saw the ring that was almost as beautiful as her. Almost as beautiful. But not quite.

"Yeah, she really is," Ross replied, a completely smitten tone in his voice.

The woman smiled knowingly before gently putting the ring in a nicer box and handing it to Ross.

"Enjoy."

"Oh I will."

* * *

Rachel practically jumped him when he came home that evening.

"Honey I missed you!" she said, kissing him good before pulling away.

Ross wore a dazed look on his face. "Th-thank you… I guess." He made sure the bump from the ring box was not visible through his jacket, before continuing to talk. "I missed you too. How was your day?"

"Ugh it was just horrible! My God, it was SO boring. It was taking all my energy not to walk out on that conference to come home and see you!" she gushed. "Not that it would've mattered anyway…because you weren't even here! I got your note by the way, WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?"

"Aw babe, I promised I'd be home by five, and it's-" Ross glanced at his watch and swallowed. "Thirty six minutes past then. Oh I'm so sorry honey!"

She accepted his apology. "It's fine. I just got home about twenty minutes ago anyway."

He pulled her to cuddle with him on the bed. "Give me a hug… I missed your touch the whole day."

Rachel smiled and climbed on top of him before hugging him tightly. She buried her face in his chest. "You smell delicious," she told him.

"Thank you. So do you," he informed her, inhaling the sweet scent of her soft golden brown hair.

She peeked up at him. "I like this."

"Me too." He ran his fingers up and down her back.

"Ross, is the air conditioning on? Because I'm feeling really cold, and God knows it's not anywhere NEAR being cold outside."

"Yeah I think it is. You want me to shut it off?"

"Nah. It's fine. You'll be too warm then."

"Nonsense," he replied, as he rolled her off his body for a minute. He leaned over to remove the blanket from the bed. He crawled underneath and motioned for Rachel to do the same.

Once again, he pulled her to lie on top of him. She firmly wrapped her arms around his waist. Until then, they had no idea how much the day had actually tired them out.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Thank _you _for being mine."

She could feel his heart beating through his shirt, against her cheek.

He positioned his hands comfortably on her lower back.

And with that, they fell into a deep sleep, happy knowing that even in their dreams, they were still together.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the delay!! Do tell me what you think please **

* * *

A few hours later, the couple was gently stirred from their sleep. Rachel was the first one awake.

_How long have we been asleep?_

She glanced at the alarm clock. _9:30 pm?!_

"Ross! Ross!" she shook him awake. "Honey wake up!" She removed herself from her position on his chest, and obtrusively yanked the blankets off of him.

Ross immediately darted out of bed. "What?!" he yelled.

"WAKE UP!" she yelled back.

"I AM!"

"Oh…" she replied. "Good morning."

Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck and softly kissed him.

Ross wore a very confused look on his face, but obviously returned the kiss anyway.

She pulled away and smiled.

"Uh…Rach?" he paused. "Did you want something?"

"Oh um, YES. Why… you seem very upset?"

"I was having a dream about you! AND I was about to get lucky!"

She shot him an adorable grin. "Oh I'm sorry... but you weren't waking up and I didn't know what to do!"

It was Ross' turn to smile at her innocent cuteness. "It's fine sweetie. I'd much rather be with you than…well…the dream version of you."

"I thought maybe we could go to a bar or something," she suggested.

He looked at her doubtfully. "Are you serious? We don't know where anything is…and it's a bit late to start looking!"

"There's a club right near my work. And come on, the night's still young!" she insisted.

"Aw okay," he agreed. "If you really want to."

She kissed his neck. "Thank you… now go get dressed! You are NOT going out of here looking like that."

He folded his arms over his chest. "Looking like what? Do you not like it?"

Rachel quickly covered up. "I **meant **you can't go out there looking so sexy, because well, I don't wanna have to fight any Southern Californian chicks tonight."

He smiled at her obviously made up answer and shuffled his feet, making his way to the bathroom. Ross quickly checked his pocket to make sure the ring was still there. He'd have to find some way to hide it before they set out for the night.

He eyed the bathtub carefully.

* * *

Ross and Rachel comfortably perched themselves on two barstools, side by side.

"I'll have a scotch on the rocks, and Rach what do you want?"

"A dirty martini, thanks."

The bartender took their orders and walked away. They weren't even sure he'd heard them correctly since the music behind them was so loud. They figured they'd go hit the dance floor after a few drinks.

A couple of minutes later, the bartender returned with each of their correct drinks.

Ross rested his arm on the table and turned to face his girlfriend, who was absentmindedly stirring her drink with her finger.

"Rach, you gonna drink that?"

Realization swept across her face. "Oh, yeah, right!" She delicately sipped the beverage and placed it back on the counter. "So tell me, how was your day?" she asked him.

"It was okay," he began. "Kinda boring though. I missed you! How was yours?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Oh God! I was like practically _falling asleep_! The stupid annoying lady with a really squeaky nasal voice just wouldn't shut the hell UP!" She sighed. "And I missed you so, so much. Isn't it sad to know that I can't be away from you for even six hours without wanting to kill myself?"

Ross smiled and traced light circles on the small of her back. "Not sad, honey. I think it's cute."

She rolled her eyes again. "Pfft, yeah, okay."

He threaded his fingers through hers and asked, "Come, you wanna dance?"

She nodded, "Yes please." She slid off the barstool and stabilized her balance on her heels, before following Ross onto the crowded dance floor.

A nice fast paced song blasted over the club's speakers. Not exactly what Rachel needed, but she didn't care.

She stood so that her back was facing Ross' chest and put her arms behind her around his neck. She slowly started to move her hips against his, and he rested his hands on her waist.

There was something about the way she danced that completely enchanted him. While it was great to slow dance with her, Ross was surprised she was hiding this other talent from the world.

With his hands still positioned on her waist, she turned around and kissed him.

He let out a deep moan from the back of his throat, and he hadn't realized how loud it was until he heard it reverberate throughout the room. A few people turned to stare at them, but neither of the two paid any attention.

"Damn you're good," he whispered into her ear.

"Thanks, you're not so bad yourself."

Before she knew it, his lips were assaulting hers again, this time the force was so great that it sent them both tumbling backwards, nearly falling onto the ground.

They knew they had to get out of here before things got out of hand.

"Wanna head back?" he asked, barely paying attention to what her response would be.

"Yes," she said softly, quickly racing out the door behind him.

The warm California air slammed into their faces, a good wake up call for the pair to slow down.

They briskly walked to the car that was parked a few blocks down. Ross' hand was comfortably placed low on Rachel's hip, and her left arm was casually thrown over his waist.

The couple got into the car as swiftly as possible, as they drove in the direction of the hotel, stopping only at red lights to engage in short make out sessions.

* * *

Ross threw her onto the bed, as they proceeded to begin the perfect ending to their not-so-perfect day. 


	7. Chapter 7

**I hope you enjoy this tiny update! The next part will be up shortly.  
**

* * *

"JOEY!" Rachel yelled, leaping into her recently estranged friend's arms.

Damn, she didn't realize how much she'd missed him until now.

"Hey Rach!" he greeted, hugging her close to him.

She reluctantly pulled away, giving her friend a chance to acknowledge Ross' existence.

Joey and Ross hugged each other tightly. "Hey man, I missed you," Ross said candidly.

"Yeah me too."

Rachel knew they were trying to play it off cool, but in reality, the two friends missed each other more than words could explain.

"I can't believe it took you guys so long to get here!" Joey reprimanded. "Monica, Chandler, and the twins came once, but I never get to see you guys and Pheebs!"

They sat down comfortably on the couch.

"Where's Emma?" Joey asked, finally noticing that the couple was without their child.

"In New York, Joe, with Chandler and Mon. It took you THAT long?" Ross replied.

"Huh. I knew something was missing," he pointed out. "Why didn't you bring her?"

Rachel hesitated, "Ross and I wanted-"

Joey cut her off, "Oh I see." He tried to wink at her.

She shot him a look, but then remembered what had happened the day before yesterday. The conference manager was sick, so he had called off the day's events. Both Ross and Rachel were so overjoyed; they spent the entire day in bed together. (Talking, of course)

Ross nodded, "Hmm, yeah, it's been great. I mean I love Emma, _God_, I love Emma, but it's been nice having Rach all to myself for so long." He casually placed her arm around her shoulder, stroking the soft skin that remained uncovered by her tank top.

She looked up at him and smiled. Her eyes met his, and neither of them could pull away.

Their eye sex was interrupted by Joey standing up and saying, "God you two. GET A ROOM!"

Ross somehow managed to strip his eyes from Rachel's, and was able to answer Joey. "Yeah, ACTUALLY we don't even have a room yet. We figured we'd say hi to you before checking into the hotel."

"No way," Joey shook his head. "My two best friends come ALL the way from New York to stay in a hotel? Nuh uh! You have a special room here at la casa de Joey!"

"Are you sure honey? I mean, we don't want to disturb you or anything," Rachel asked hesitantly.

"Yes, Rach, it's fine. If it wasn't, would I have offered?"

"I don't know. Probably not."

Ross smiled, "Thanks man. You saved me a couple hundred bucks."

"Anytime! You know I'd do anything for you guys," Joey assured. He stood up, poised to walk in the other direction to show them to their room. He decided to add something else:

"Just as long as I don't hear any screams or yells or anything sexual from you two at night, I'm perfectly great."

"Joey!" Rachel said, in an offended tone. "Why would we do that?"

Ross was about to speak when Joey cut him off. "Because I mean you're _Ross and Rachel_! You guys were like **born **to have sex with each other. And let's face it, we know you do it all the time!"

Rachel opened her mouth to say something in return, but Ross gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "He's right sweetie."

"Yeah I guess so."


	8. Chapter 8

**I hope you guys like this one. It's mostly mush, there's really no plot here.**

* * *

"Sweetie, it's 12 pm, we're in gorgeous Los Angeles, and we're sitting here in Joey Tribbiani's house!" Rachel exclaimed. She was positively bored out of her mind.

"Tell me what you wanna do then. We're saving Disney for the weekend," he reminded her firmly.

"Well, Los Angeles IS gorgeous, but it's raining outside, so it'll have to be something indoors."

"How about ice skating?" Ross suggested.

"Ice skating?" Rachel laughed. "Come on Geller, you've gotta do better than THAT."

"Hey, just because you don't know how…"

She glared at him, "And I don't want to risk getting hurt. Who'll take care of you and Emma then?"

Ross kissed her cheek softly. "I'll help you. I'll teach you; I promise I won't let go of you at any given time."

"Fine, if you promise not to let go of me at 'any given time'" she scoffed. "But if I fall, and my new coat gets wrecked, I'm gonna kick your ass."

"Deal."

* * *

At the ice skating rink, Ross sat on the floor and helped a nervous Rachel (who was sitting on the bench) put on her skates.

"Ross, this is a bad idea," she told him. "I could die or something! Emma needs her mommy…she's still so young!"

Ross rolled his eyes at her. "Sweetie, you're not gonna die!" he assured her, rubbing her leg affectionately. "I won't let you."

"What if some obnoxious teenager knocks me down and I get a fatal concussion?"

"Believe me, if any obnoxious teenager comes anywhere NEAR you, I'll be there to kill him or her for possibly trying to take you away from me."

His promise still wasn't enough to wipe the worried look off of her face.

"Rachel?"

No answer.

"Rachel?"

"Yeah?"

"Are the skates fitting you okay?"

She paused and thought for a moment before delicately dangling her foot in front of him. "It's too loose," she lied.

"Really?" Ross asked.

Rachel made a face. "Yeah don't you believe me?"

"Swear on my life that you're not lying," he challenged.

"No!" she adamantly refused.

"My point exactly… now is the skate okay?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "It's fine."

Ross stood up. "Okay, let's go then," he said, offering his hand to her.

She was about to grab it, but then pulled back. "I have to pee," she told him.

He shot her a look.

"What? I'm serious!" she insisted.

Ross sighed. "Bathroom's that way," he pointed.

She stood up, wobbled, and sat back down again.

He chuckled. "Need help?"

"Yes please."

He helped Rachel to the bathroom and waited outside for her to come out. Once she did, he guided them to the door of the ice rink.

Rachel put her hand on his arm, stopping him.

"What now, sweetie?" he asked her.

"I don't have such a good feeling about this."

"Why not?"

She placed her hand on her stomach. "It's just that…if I fall, I don't want to lose this baby."

Ross dropped her arm and brought his hand to rest itself on her cheek. "Y-you're pregnant?" he stuttered.

"Well no," Rachel admitted, feeling a bit guilty for toying with his mind like that. "But I could be, and if I WAS, I _definitely _wouldn't do anything to hurt him or her."

"Rach, oh my God, you nearly made my heart stop!"

"Oh stop being such a drama queen, honey."

His voice suddenly changed from panicked to defeated. "Fine, sweetie, if you really don't wanna go ice-skating, then we can go do something else. I hate making you do something you're so against doing."

Rachel felt really bad now. He was going to sacrifice something he wanted to do, just because of her irrational fears of doing it for the first time."

"No!" she told him sternly. "We're doing this."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Her voice became really small, "But promise not to let go of me okay?"

He laughed at her adorable change of behavior. "Of course I promise."

--

**There's one more part to the ice skating experience after this part.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I hope you enjoy this!  
**

* * *

_"Actually, ice skating isn't so bad,"_Rachel reasoned.

Sure it was a little chilly and frightening at first, but it proved to be a good excuse to spend some quality time with her boyfriend. He kept his arm securely wrapped around her waist ensuring that she would not fall.

His close proximity was unwittingly making her feel weak in the knees. She was drowning in him, and was truly glad that she had sidestepped her fears and agreed to this.

"Honey?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Yes sweetie?" he replied, his gaze locking with hers. "What is it?"

"Nothing."

He was about to peel his eyes off of her beautiful face, when she stopped him.

"I love you," she smiled, the happiness and contentment shining through her eyes.

Ross pulled her towards the railing of the rink, and gently pushed her against the glass. "I love you too."

He kissed her softly, as to not attract too much unwanted attention. Both of them were fully aware of the fact that the mild kiss didn't satisfy the burning passion for each other that was bubbling up inside them.

They paused for a moment, taking the time to cuddle with each other before resuming their skating "adventure."

After five minutes of burying his face in Rachel's hair, Ross announced that he would return in a moment. His excuse was simply, "Bathroom."

She turned around and leaned on the banister, her back facing the rest of the skaters. Rachel watched him hobble towards the restroom. She couldn't even try to hide the smile that was threatening to take over her face. He was just too cute sometimes; she couldn't help it.

Her mind traveled from Ross to Emma, the beautiful baby girl they had co-created.

_Ah, Emma_

Rachel could hardly believe she'd been away from her for almost a week. They'd definitely have to call her when they got back to Joey's. Before she could take any more time to reflect on her currently perfect life, she felt someone grab her ass and gently massage it.

She stifled a moan. "Ohh God…" she whispered. "Sweetie, we're in public!"

"Rachel Bella!" the guy exclaimed, still not removing his hands from their position on her rear.

"Holy crap! GET OFF OF ME!" Rachel screamed, pushing the man away from her.

She tripped and fell hard on the ice in an upright, sitting position. She seemingly ignored the shooting pain that penetrated her entire abdominal and thigh area.

"Paolo?! Oh my God, here? What the hell do you think you're doing? Don't you have any shame?" She ranted.

"Raquel! Raquel! Paolo do you!" he stuttered, offering his hand to her.

She stared at him angrily. "NO! You're a complete ass you know that? I'm with Ross now! And besides, you're just – you're a – you're a CRAPWEASEL!" she ranted.

Understanding that he would not be sleeping with her tonight, Paolo backed away and skated to the opposite side of the rink where he planted a kiss on what look like his girlfriend's cheek.

_What a player._

Rachel struggled to get back up on her feet, but failed to do so. Luckily, she didn't have to keep trying for much longer.

"Rach, honey!" Ross yelled, skating towards her. He was pale in the face. "What the hell happened to you? WHO DID THIS TO YOU?"

"It's okay Ross!" she insisted. "I just got startled by someone, that's all. I fell myself. There's nothing anyone could have done."

"Who was it?"

"Paolo."

"Paolo…" he dug into the back of his mind to bring up memories of the person with the familiar name. "Paolo…Paolo…PAOLO?! He's here? Oh my God, what the _hell_ did that guy do to you?" His blood was nearly boiling.

She hesitated, "You'll get all jealous and irrational again."

"I promise, I won't. Just tell me."

"He touched my ass," she simply said, not wishing to go into any more detail. It was only hurt Ross more and more.

"What? Oh my God, when I see him, I'm gonna kick his-"

"Ross!" Rachel interrupted.

"Yeah?"

"Can you help me up please?" she asked, reaching her hand out for him to pull her up with.

"Yeah babe, I'm so sorry," he apologized, gently wrapping his arms around her tiny frame, helping her up.

"Ow, ow, ow," she winced in pain.

Ross, still grasping her tightly, looked at her worriedly. "You didn't break anything did you?"

"No, I don't think so. If I had, I wouldn't be able to walk." She clutched him as if holding on for dear life. "Should we stay or do you wanna go?"

"Rach, hon, I think we should go."

"Good, because I think so too."

--

Ross opened the door to the bedroom they would be staying in for the next few days. Joey had gone out for a bit, so they didn't have to do any explaining, and they could just go and rest.

"Come on honey, lay down," he coaxed. He held her tightly and helped her lie down.

Her grunts of pain were not helping his guilt trip.

"God if I hadn't gone to the bathroom, this never would've happened to you."

Rachel sighed, "Sweetie, this isn't your fault. Stop blaming yourself! I fell. So what? Big deal, people fall all the time!"

"Yeah but-"

"Oww!!"

"Here, here, let me give you some pillows."

As Ross comfortably propped her up, Rachel asked for a favor. "Ross, can we talk to Emma? I haven't heard her voice since San Diego, and I really miss her."

"It's almost her bedtime now," Ross said, glancing at his watch. "New York is three hours ahead remember? But I suppose we could call Monica and Chandler and give it a shot."

He whipped out his cell phone and punched in the numbers to his sister's Westchester residence. When he heard the familiar ringing, he put the phone on speakerphone and sat on the bed next to Rachel.

"Hello?"

"Hey Mon!" Rachel greeted.

"Hi honey! How's California?"

"It's great! How's my little Emma doing? I hope she's not too much trouble," she added worriedly.

"Oh Rach, she's been a perfect angel, you know that!" Monica laughed. "Don't worry, okay?"

"Hi Monica!!" Ross said, contributing to the conversation.

"Ross! How are you?"

"I'm great!"

"Have you been taking good care of my Rachel?" Monica asked.

This time it was Ross' turn to be worried. "Um – I hope so!" he stuttered.

"Yeah sweetie," Rachel intervened. "He's been taking VERY good care of me!"

"Okay, ew, I really want to erase this image of my brother and you in bed together. And I would really appreciate if we could end this topic right here," Monica yelled, completely grossed out.

"Okay!!" Ross smiled. "Can we have a word with our daughter please?"

"Sure, here she is."

Monica handed the phone to her niece. "Mommy and Daddy want to say hi," she explained.

"Mommy! Daddy!" the unusually articulate child yelled into the phone.

"Hi Emma!" her parents replied, with equal excitement in their voices.

"Me miss you."

"Aww we miss you too Ems," Rachel replied, tearing up a little.

"I play with Jacky and Erica today!"

Ross laughed, "Have fun with them okay?"

"Give them a big kiss from us!"

"Okay, I will Mommy!"

"Are you having fun with Auntie Mon and Uncle Chandler?" Rachel asked.

"Yes! I love Auntie Mon and Unka Chandler! They are fun!" she said, matter-of-factly.

"Really?" Ross asked, although he was just confirming what his daughter had said merely seconds before.

"Yeah! Today, in the morning, when I waked up, Unka Chandler carried me downstairs like a airplane!" Emma squealed.

"Wow!"

"I have to go now. Auntie Monica is calling me!"

"Okay bye Em!" her parents chorused.

"Bye-bye! I love you!"

"We love you!"

--

Rachel limped out of the shower. She was actually surprised at how much her butt could hurt just from falling on it. She meticulously put some pajamas on before walking out to the bedroom.

Ross was huddled in one corner of the bed, talking to someone on the phone, like it was some kind of big secret.

"Yeah, her name is Rachel Green." he said softly. "R-A-C-H-E-L."

When he heard the bathroom door close, he suddenly became very aware of the fact that Rachel could possibly have heard his entire conversation. "Yes, thank you so much, I'll talk to you tomorrow then, bye." He flipped his cell phone shut and tossed it onto the nightstand.

"Who was that honey?" Rachel asked suspiciously.

"Um no one!" Ross replied, trying very hard to cover up his guilty voice. "I was checking to see if we could get discounted tickets to Disneyland for tomorrow and Sunday."

"But you said my name! What does that have to do with anything?"

"Uh, because they have to spell it out on the passes! Duh."

She looked confused, "Okay…"

"Ugh, I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, you look it. How's your…um…injury doing?"

"Eh, it's getting better. I'll live Ross!"

He scooted over to Rachel's side of the bed. "Come here. Lie down on top of me."

She did as she was told. The reason for his request soon became evident, when he began lightly massaging her hips.

"Ugh, that feels so good. It's totally taking some of the pain away. Thank you," she said, relieved that finally something was helping this discomfort.

Ross kissed her forehead before flipping out the lights. "No problem. Good night, I love you."

"I love you too."


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for the long delay! I was on vacation for the past two months, so I didn't really have time.**

**Also, there are probably only going to be two chapters after this one.**

* * *

Rachel stumbled off of the spinning teacup ride, nearly tripping over her own feet in the process.

Ross caught her and chuckled. "Rach? Sweetie? Are you okay?"

She tightly held onto him in an effort to stabilize herself. "Yeah, I guess I'm a lil bit dizzy from the ride. We probably shouldn't have been spinning so fast."

"Ah, you wanna sit down for a while?"

"Yes please."

They walked over to a nearby bench shaded by a leafy tree, and sat down. Rachel wrapped her arm around Ross and rested her head on his chest.

"Emma would've loved it here," she whispered.

"I know," Ross agreed. "I really miss her."

"Can we talk to her?"

He nodded, and whipped out his cell phone.

"Hello?" Chandler answered, silencing the ringing of his house phone.

"Hi Chandler!"

"Hey Rach! How's it goin?"

"Great! How's everyone?"

"We're all fine actually. You know, Mon and I love having Emma around."

"Really?" Ross asked brightly.

"Yeah! She's such a good kid, and a little helper! Em's been such a pleasure; you two have done a really good job with her."

"Thanks," they replied, practically beaming with pride.

"I dunno – we might even decide to keep her here, and not give her back to you," he added.

"Go ahead," Rachel joked. In reality, she knew she'd never be able to live without her beloved daughter.

"Hmm, where are you guys? There's a hell of a lot of noise in the background."

"Disneyland," Ross replied.

"DISNEYLAND?! Oh my God wow!" he gasped. "HOLY CRAP! Can you get me Donald Duck's autograph?!"

Rachel laughed. Her friend would never grow up, would he? "Of course honey," she assured him.

"You wanna speak to Em?"

"Of course."

"Okay let me go see if she wants to talk to you."

Rachel laughed again and rolled her eyes before shutting off the speaker and holding the cell phone to her ear. She heard Chandler yelling for her daughter, and waited for him to put her on.

Meanwhile, Ross gently nibbled at the side of her face. "I love you," he whispered, pulling the statement out of the sky.

She stroked his cheek in response and was about to reply when she heard Emma's soft shrieks through the receiver. "Hello? Who is this?"

"Take a guess, baby girl," Rachel answered teasingly.

"OH mommy!" she squealed. "Hi Mommy!"

"Hi Em! How's my little princess doin?"

"She's good!"

"Are you having fun with your cousins?"

"Yea mommy, I told you that yesterday when you called," she answered sweetly.

Rachel chuckled, "Yeah but there's no harm in asking again, right?"

"Oh you mean to see if I'm still having fun?" she asked her mother, as if it all made sense now.

"Yeah honey, that's it," Rachel smiled.

Ross removed his face from her neck and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Sweetie, can I talk to her now?"

"Oh of course," she told him. "Em, daddy wants to talk to you!"

"Okay bye mommy! Me love you!"

"Love ya babe," she said, handing the phone to her boyfriend.

"Emma!!" Ross greeted excitedly.

Rachel couldn't help but giggle at his sudden mood change.

"Sweetie, guess where we are?" he asked.

"Calfonia? With Unka Joey!"

"Yes, _California_, but right now we're at DISNEYLAND!"

Emma squealed, "Oh wowy Daddy!"

"What do you want us to bring back for you?"

She paused to think for a minute. "Um a Princess costume! And, and, and a Mickey Mouse lollipop!"

He agreed instantly. "You got it honey."

Rachel stared at his sudden change of pace, thinking he had no idea she was even looking at him.

But she was wrong. He was watching her every move, her every breath.

And boy, was she gonna have an interesting day.


	11. Chapter 11

**Here's the second to last chapter, folks! :D**

* * *

Rachel grabbed Ross' arm and excitedly pointed in the direction of one of the Princesses posing nearby.

"Oh Ross! Can we get a picture with Cinderella? Please, please?!" she begged him. "I used to be such a big fan, and now Emma loves her…"

Ross smiled and, naturally, agreed. "Of course sweetie," he chuckled. "You don't even have to ask."

After taking out his camera and snapping a picture of Rachel with her arm around the Princess, the pair soon left for their next destination: Toontown, the home of Mickey Mouse.

* * *

"Augh Goddammit! I don't wanna wait in this frickin line for one and a half hours!!" Rachel complained, folding her arms across her chest.

"Come on, Rach! You really wanna leave DISNEYLAND without meeting Mickey Mouse?"

"…No…"

"My point exactly."

"But I'm _tired _and I don't wanna miss the fireworks show later!"

Ross glanced at his watch, "Honey, the show's not for another four hours!"

He knelt down in front of her. "Hop on," he told her, insisting she climb onto his back.

She shook her head rapidly from side to side. "Aww sweetie, thank you, but you'll get tired!"

He stood up, not interested in continuing this pointless argument with her. "Oh! I have an idea…" he whispered, removing his sweatshirt and handing it to her. "Sneak this under your top."

"WHAT?!" she replied loudly.

"Shh…no one's watching."

Rachel quickly rolled the sweatshirt into a neat ball and tucked it under her shirt. "Come on Ross, no one's gonna buy this crap."

He kissed her cheek, "Shh, be quiet! You look pregnant. Come, let's go."

They stepped out of the line and Ross urged a confused Rachel forward to the front of the queue.

"Oh my God! What the hell are you making me do?" she wondered aloud.

He soothingly rubbed her right hip, and this simple gesture somehow told her to dispose of all her apprehension and to just blindly listen to him.

"Excuse me. Excuse me, sir!" Ross interrupted, tapping the middle-aged guy who was manning the Mickey Mouse House entrance.

"Yes?"

"My pregnant wife here," he tightened his arm around Rachel. "She's nearly seven months along and unfortunately won't be able to wait-"

The man smiled brightly, adjusting the nametag pinned on his shirt, "Of course! You can go in."

He stepped back so that the young couple could cut in front of everyone and go straight to meet the famed Disney character.

"Thank you," Rachel replied, casually brushing her hand over her fake bump.

* * *

"Wow I really admire that guy," Rachel sighed, as they exited the place where they got to meet and greet Mickey Mouse. "It must really suck ass to be stuck in there for the whole day. I'm sure he must get paid a lot!"

Ross stifled a giggle, and when they were a few minutes walk away, he suggested, "Sweetie, why don't you take my sweatshirt out of your top now?"

She blushed and swiftly removed the fake bump from underneath her shirt. "Oh crap, I didn't even realize…!"

"It's okay," he told her.

But before he could say any more, his thought process was interrupted by his girlfriend's high pitched squeals. "Oh wow! Look Ross, it's Donald and Daisy!!"

He laughed at how promptly she could turn into 'little girl Rachel' when the opportunity presented itself.

"And there's no line too! Rach, go over there quickly. Chandler's gonna be pissed if we don't get him his autograph."

She smiled and hurriedly rushed over to the waiting characters. "Excuse me? May I have your autograph?" She realized how weird it must have sounded, and then added, "For my friend – err, nephew?!"

_Smooth Rachel, smooth…_

_Ahh, whatever. They're just cartoon characters; not like you'll ever see them again._

As the autograph procedure completed, Rachel stood in the middle of them and "Donald" and "Daisy" put their arms around her.

Once again, Ross whipped out the camera to take the photo.

He noticed her unadulterated girlishness and the twinkle in her eyes, the sway in her step and the shine of her hair.

Most of all, he watched her complete obliviousness to what was happening around her.

But she had no idea what would happen to her that evening.

And on some level, neither did he.

* * *

**Leave reviews, please!! **

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you so much to all of you who kept up with this story!! I hope you enjoyed it, for this is the final chapter.**

* * *

"Why is it that on every single water ride we go on, I always end up much wetter than you?" Rachel asked, squeezing the water out of her soaked hair.

"Because you always want to sit in the front of the ride," Ross pointed out. "Duh."

She shot him a killer look. "Damn you. The front is less scary."

"Well maybe next time, you should set aside your irrational fears and take into concern the wetness factor."

"Irrational fears? Excuse me?"

"Did I say irrational? I meant rational!" He slapped himself on the forehead, "Silly Ross! Silly me!"

Rachel looked at him in disbelief. "Nice try, I gotta give you that much."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry honey. You know I love you right?"

She nodded and smiled. He was too damn irresistible, and she found that she couldn't stay mad at him for too many things anymore. "I love you too." She paused. "And the joke's on you, cuz now you're all wet!"

"It's okay. I don't mind." He softly kissed her.

She pulled away. "Your lips taste delicious! What did you do? Chapstick?"

His eyes widened. "Chapstick? NOOOO! That's just how I taste..."

Rachel giggled, "I guess you're right."

When she turned around, he sighed with relief.

She couldn't find out his luscious secret.

He'd have to remember to thank Joey later.

* * *

_8:00 pm _

"Sweetie, where do you wanna sit?" Rachel asked Ross.

"Somewhere in the front. I want us to have a good view of the fireworks."

"You get a good view of them in the back too, you know. And it's less crowded back he-"

"No honey! Come on, I think I see a little spot up front. You can sit on my lap."

He led her towards an open space in the very front of the crowd, but off to the side a little bit. It was perfect.

They unfolded the brand-new Disneyland blanket that they had bought especially for the occasion. Ross sat down with Rachel comfortably positioned between his legs.

He kissed her right temple. "You look beautiful," he whispered.

She looked up at him and smiled a special smile that only he would ever get to witness. She gently placed her hand on his chest, where she assumed his heart would be.

"You know, you're the best thing that ever happened to me." she told him.

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me? That's my line!" he joked.

She rolled her eyes. He had completely killed the moment. "Well, it's true."

Ross opened his mouth to say something, but was rudely interrupted by a loud BANG and the eruption of color in the sky.

"Shh, just enjoy the show," he managed to say.

And those were the last words they exchanged until that magical moment thirty minutes later.

The firework show was coming to a close. It was supposed to last until 8:35.

Ross glanced at his watch. 8:32. It was the right time to tell her what he had to say.

He stood up and grabbed Rachel's hand, pulling her up to his level.

"Ross, what are you doing? We're blocking everyone's view!"

He brushed lips against the back of her neck. "Shh…"

She carefully looked around her. Nobody really seemed to be too annoyed, so she let it go.

"You know, Rach, I still remember the first day I ever met you."

She looked at him quizzingly, and was about to say something back when he placed his index finger on her lips, signaling that it was his turn to speak.

"You were wearing a pink top and a denim skirt, and Monica brought you home to introduce you as her new friend."

Pause.

"Ever since I set my eyes on you, I knew you were the one for me."

Rachel didn't know what exactly he was getting at, but it still managed to stir those deep, innate feelings inside her.

Ross locked his gaze with her big, beautiful, blue eyes that were now wet with a thin film of tears. He felt that just by looking into them, he would be completely derailed and forget everything he had prepared to say.

He continued, "You were just as gorgeous back then as you are now… perhaps even more so now than before."

Another pause.

"I became infatuated with you, and not just because of your looks, but also because of how compassionate you were. You hung out with my sister, not afraid to be seen with her, DESPITE what it could do to your image."

A small tear dripped out of her left eye, but he quickly brushed it away.

He intertwined his fingers with hers and brought her hand up to his lips. He planted a soft kiss on it before loosening his grip a little…still not letting go.

He chuckled a little, "Anyway, leaving the past behind, when I saw you walk in through those double doors of Central Perk in that soaking wet wedding dress, which by the way, you looked **absolutely **sexy in, all those old feelings resurfaced."

He winked at her, hoping she'd acknowledge his not-so-subtle compliment.

But that night, even she seemed to be so lost in his words, she did no such thing.

"After a **hell **of a lot of wasted time, we finally started dating, and God knows that you were, and still are, the single best thing to ever happen to me."

There that line was again.

He glanced at his watch. 8:34. He just had one minute before all the noise in the background would stop and that final display of fireworks would come to a close.

"After we broke up, and not just the first time, I don't think I've _ever _been able to get over you, and quite frankly, I didn't try hard enough, because I don't think I've ever _wanted _to."

Rachel quickly let go of his hand to wipe away some tears that stained her cheek.

Ross continued to speak, fully aware of his press for time. He didn't want her to miss it.

"When you got off that plane, I vowed never to let you go again, and in order for me to keep that promise, well, nothing would make me happier than to have you as my wife."

He gently nudged her, and she looked up to see the words spelled out in the fireworks display.

"Rachel Green…will you marry me?"

She looked and saw the love of her life down on one knee, in front of her. She sobbed, not caring about the small crowd of people that had turned their attention towards her.

"Ross Geller, I will."

He quickly threw the velvet box to the ground and slid the ring onto her finger. Ross jumped up from his position on the grass and lifted her into his arms. He was crying openly now as well.

"Rach! Oh..." He stroked her hair. "Rachel, I love you," he whispered.

She nodded, knowing he didn't need **anything **more to prove her undying love for him.

And with that, she kissed him for the very first time as not his girlfriend, but his fiancée.

_Finally._

_Finally, that old saying proved to be true:_

_Lobsters really do mate for life._

**The End.**


End file.
